Composition for increasing milk production containing artemisia capillaris

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a composition for increasing the milk production of livestock, containing  Artemisia capillaris  as an active ingredient. More specifically, relates to a composition and a feed additive for increasing the milk production of cows, containing  Artemisia capillaris  as an active ingredient, and a composition and a feed additive for reducing the number of somatic cells in livestock milk, containing  Artemisia capillaris  as an active ingredient. The composition can increase milk production of animals, and, in addition, can reduce the number of somatic cells in milk being produced, thus enabling production of good quality milk.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a composition for increasing milkproduction of livestock, containing Artemisia capillaris as an activeingredient, and more particularly to a composition and a feed additivefor increasing milk production of cows, containing Artemisia capillarisas an active ingredient, and to a composition and a feed additive forreducing the number of somatic cells in livestock milk, containingArtemisia capillaris as an active ingredient.

BACKGROUND ART

Growth hormones which are used in practice to increase milk productionof dairy cows are known to have various physiological actions, includingthe promotion of cell growth, the promotion of protein production, thepromotion of lipolysis and the stimulation of milk secretion in mammals.Human growth hormones were developed as products for promoting thegrowth of children, and animal growth hormones were developed as agentsfor increasing milk production of dairy cows, increasing the efficiencyof pig feed and promoting the growth of cultured fishes.

As the utility of growth hormones exhibiting various physiologicalfunctions as described above draws attention, studies on substances orcompositions for promoting the secretion of the growth hormones arebeing actively conducted. In addition, there is a need to study herbalcompositions capable of increasing milk production by using herbalcomponents to stimulate growth hormone secretion in dairy cows ratherthan agents for stimulating the secretion of growth hormone, comprisingartificial chemical substances. Artemisia capillaries Thunberg has beenused as Chinese medicinal herb and is also called “Wormwood herb”.Artemisia has various Korean names such as Kaae, Kucho, Kiae,Nangmihoja, Bingtae, Akeupae, Yayeundoo, Ae, Aebong, Aeho, Chumae,Chobong, Hyangae and Hwangcho.

The whole plant of artemisia contains components such as essential oil,tannin, resin, bitter substances, artemisinin, ascorbic acid andcarotene, and the leaf thereof contains essential oil, cineole, thujone,borneol, paraffin, adenine, choline, vitamins A, B and D, etc. The rootof artemisia contains polysaccharide artemos, essential oil,dehydromatricaric acid, sterol, tetradecatrien, inulin, mucus, etc.

Artemisia has a bitter and acrid taste, and also has warm nature andthus has the ability to disperse cold, stabilize the womb, regulate Qiand blood, expel dampness, warm the uterus, promote bile secretion,invigorate blood, stop bleeding, relieve pain, eliminate blood stasis,regulate menstruation, and restore yang. Thus, artemisia is used toalleviate and treat abdominal cold-pain, abdominal cramps caused bydiarrhea, chronic diarrhea and dysentery, spitting blood, nasalbleeding, vaginal bleeding, menstrual irregularity, abnormal uterinebleeding, vaginal discharge, fetal irritability, and tumor.

Accordingly, the present inventors have found that, when Artemisiacapillaris powder, Artemisia capillaris extract or fermented Artemisiacapillaris is fed to dairy cows, milk production of the cows can beincreased, and the number of somatic cells in raw milk being producedcan be decreased which will enable the cows to produce good-qualitymilk, thereby completing the present invention.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a composition forincreasing milk production of livestock, a composition for promotinghuman breast milk production, and a composition for reducing somaticcells in livestock, each of the compositions containing Artemisiacapillaries as an active ingredient.

To achieve the above object, the present invention provides acomposition and a feed additive for increasing milk production oflivestock, containing Artemisia capillaris as an active ingredient.

The present invention also provides a composition for promoting humanbreast milk production, containing Artemisia capillaris as an activeingredient.

The present invention also provides a composition and a feed additivefor reducing somatic cells in livestock milk, containing Artemisiacapillaris as an active ingredient

Other features and aspects of the present invention will be apparentfrom the following detailed description and the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION AND PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In one aspect, the present invention relates to a composition and a feedadditive for increasing milk production of livestock, containingArtemisia capillaris as an active ingredient.

In the present invention, the Artemisia capillaris is preferablyselected from the group consisting of Artemisia capillaris powder,Artemisia capillaris extract and fermented Artemisia capillaris. In thepresent invention, the Artemisia capillaris powder may be prepared bydrying Artemisia capillaries Thunberg at suitable temperature, finelycutting the dried material, and then grinding the cut material to a sizeof 20-100 mesh, the Artemisia capillaris extract may be prepared byextracting the Artemisia capillaris powder with ethanol and drying theextract, and the fermented Artemisia capillaris may be prepared bymixing the Artemisia capillaris powder with rice bran and the like,adding a fermentation starter and lactic acid bacteria thereto toferment the Artemisia capillaris powder, drying the fermented materialto a water content of 13-15%, thus preparing fermented Artemisiacapillaris powder, and then adding a pharmaceutically acceptable carrierthereto.

The Artemisia capillaris powder of the present invention may be mixedwith a suitable carrier such as alfalfa at a weight ratio of 18-36:82-67before use, and the Artemisia capillaris extract may be mixed with asuitable carrier such as alfalfa at a weight ratio of 1.6-7.2:9.4-13.8before use.

In a preferred embodiment, the fermented Artemisia capillaris of thepresent invention may be prepared by mixing 18-36 wt % of Artemisiacapillaris powder with 82-64 wt % of rice bran mixture (wheat powder,corn flour, zeolite, etc.), adding a fermentation starter (yeast),various lactic acid bacteria and a suitable carrier thereto, fermentingthe mixture for 3-7 days and drying the fermented material.

Thus, in the present invention, the Artemisia capillaris extract, theArtemisia capillaris powder and the fermented Artemisia capillarispowder may be added to a conventional compound feed comprising corn,soybean meal, wheat, tallow, molasses, calcium phosphate, limestone,salt, other minerals, and a vitamin premix in a suitable amount.Preferably, each of the Artemisia capillaris extract, the Artemisiacapillaris powder and the fermented Artemisia capillaris powder ispreferably added in an amount of 0.005-50 wt % based on the total weightof feed in order to obtain the desired effect of increasing milkproduction in livestock.

In the present invention, the livestock are preferably selected from thegroup consisting of cattle, dairy cattle, sheep, mountain sheep, goats,pigs, horses, camels and dogs. More preferably, the livestock are dairycattle or mountain sheep.

In another aspect, the present invention relates to a composition forpromoting human breast milk production, containing Artemisia capillarisas an active ingredient.

The composition may be administered in the form of a pharmaceuticalformulation or a functional food.

The inventive composition containing Artemisia capillaris as an activeingredient can reduce the number of somatic cells in raw milk producedby livestock, thus enabling production of good quality milk.

Accordingly, the present invention relates, in another aspect, to acomposition and a feed additive for reducing somatic cells in livestockmilk, containing Artemisia capillaris as an active ingredient.

The composition of the present invention may be prepared into a givenformulation according to a conventional method. In the preparation ofthe formulation, it is preferable that Artemisia capillaris or fermentedArtemisia capillaris as an active ingredient be mixed or diluted with acarrier, or encapsulated in a capsule-shaped carrier.

If the carrier is used as a diluent, it may be a solid, semi-solid orliquid substance acting as a vehicle, excipient or medium for the activeingredients. Thus, the formulation may be in the form of tablets, pills,powder, sachet, elixir, suspension, emulsion, solution, syrup, aerosol,soft or hard gelatin capsules, sterilize injectable solution andsterilize powder. The formulation may additionally comprise fillers,anti-aggregating agents, lubricants, wetting agents, perfumes,emulsifiers, preservatives and the like. The pharmaceutical compositionaccording to the present invention may be formulated using a method wellknown in the art, such that it can provide the rapid, sustained ordelayed release of the active ingredient after administration.

The Artemisia capillaris extract, the Artemisia capillaris powder or thefermented Artemisia capillaris powder as an active ingredient may beadministered orally or parenterally to animals, including humans, in anamount of 10-1,000 mg/kg of body weight, preferably 70-100 mg/kg of bodyweight, in single or multiple daily doses. For dairy cattle, thecomposition of the present invention may be mixed with feed in an amountof 1-50 wt % before feeding or may be fed at a dose of 5-100g/day/animal.

EXAMPLES

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in further detailwith reference to examples. It is to be understood, however, that theseexamples are for illustrative purposes only and are not to be construedto limit the scope of the present invention.

Example 1 Preparation of Artemisia Capillaris Powder, ArtemisiaCapillaris Extract Powder and Fermented Artemisia Capillaries (1)Preparation of Artemisia capillaris Powder

Artemisia capillaris was dried in a dryer to a water content of about10%. Then, the dried plant was finely cut to a size of 1.5-2 cm, andthen ground in a grinder in two steps to a particle size of 20-80 mesh.The resulting Artemisia capillaris powder was mixed with alfalfa as acarrier at a weight ratio of 18:82, thus preparing Artemisia capillarispowder.

(2) Preparation of Artemisia capillaris Extract Powder

Artemisia capillaris was placed in a dryer and dried to a water contentof about 10%. Then, the dried plant was finely cut to a size of 1.5-2cm, and the cut plant was extracted with ethanol in an extractor. Theextract was dried and ground to fine powder, and the Artemisiacapillaris was mixed with alfalfa as a carrier at a weight ratio of1.8:98.2, thus preparing Artemisia capillaris extract powder.

(3) Preparation of Fermented Artemisia capillaris

18 wt % of the Artemisia capillaris powder prepared in Example 1-(1) wasmixed with 82 wt % of rice bran mixture (wheat powder, corn flour,zeolite, etc.), and then mixed with a fermentation starter (yeast) andvarious lactic bacteria at a weight ratio of Artemisia capillarispowder/rice bran mixture: fermentation starter/lacticbacteria=99.95:0.05. The mixture was fermented for 3-7 days and dried,thus preparing fermented Artemisia capillaries.

Example 2 Measurement of Change in Milk Production of Dairy CowsAccording to Administration of Fermented Artemisia capillaris

As test subjects, Holstein dairy cows (1^(st) to 6^(th) parity) at45-280 days after delivery were divided into three groups: a group fedwith Artemisia capillaris, and two control groups, each of the groupsconsisting of 10 cows. For the test group, the fermented Artemisiacapillaris (contained in a formulation in an amount of 18 wt %) wasadministered to each individual at the time of milking in an amount of10 g per cow. For the positive control group, 500 mg ofsustained-release recombinant bovine somatotropin (BST, LG Life SciencesLtd.) was subcutaneously injected into an alternately selected one ofthe right and left sides of the ischiorectal fossa at two-weekintervals. The amount of concentrate feed was adjusted depending on milkyield, the animals were allowed free access to forage, and other raisingconditions followed the usual practice of the test farm. At the startand end of the test, each of the groups was measured for milk productionand calculated for the rate of an increase in milk production.

As a result, as can be seen in Table 1, the group fed with the fermentedArtemisia capillaris showed a milk production increase of about 17% for8 weeks, suggesting that the milk production thereof was higher thanthat of the group fed with somatotropin.

TABLE 1 Fermented Artemisia Negative Positive capillaris control controlMilk production 30.5 32.2 31.2 at the start (kg) Milk production 35.732.1 35.9 at the end (kg) Increase rate in 17 −0.3 15 milk production(%) Unit: daily average milk production (kg) per cow

Example 3 Measurement of Change in Milk Production of Dairy CowsAccording to the Kind of Artemisia capillaris Fed

As test subjects, Holstein dairy cows (1^(st) to 5^(th) parity) at50-280 days after delivery were divided into three groups fed withArtemisia capillaris, and a control group, each of the groups consistingof 10 cows. The Artemisia capillaris powder (contained in a formulationin an amount of 18 wt %), the Artemisia capillaris extract powder(contained in a formulation in an amount of 3.6 wt %) and the fermentedArtemisia capillaris (contained in a formulation in an amount of 18 wt%) were fed to the respective groups in an amount of 10 g per cow. Theamount of feed to the control group was adjusted depending on thecontent of a mixed feed, the animals were allowed free access to forage,and other raising conditions followed the usual practice of the testfarm. At the start and end of the test, each of the groups was measuredfor milk production and calculated for the rate of the increase in milkproduction.

As a result, as can be seen in Table 2 below, the control group showedno significant change in milk production, whereas the group fed with thefermented Artemisia capillaris showed a milk production increase of 4.5kg for 16 weeks, which corresponded to an increase of 13.2% compared tomilk production before administration, and the Artemisia capillarisextract-fed group and the Artemisia capillaris powder-fed group showedmilk production increase of 3.3 kg and 3.9 kg, respectively, whichcorresponded to increases of 9.4% and 11.4% compared to milk productionbefore administration.

TABLE 2 Artemisia Artemisia Fermented capillaris capillaris ArtemisiaNegative powder extract capillaris control Milk production 35.2 34.334.2 35.8 at the start (kg) Milk production 38.5 38.2 38.7 35.9 at theend (kg) Increase rate in 9.4 11.4 13.2 0.3 milk production (%) Unit:daily average milk production (kg) per cow

Example 4 Measurement of Change in Number of Somatic Cells in Raw MilkAccording to Administration of Artemisia capillaris

As test subjects, Holstein dairy cows (1^(st) to 5^(th) parity) at47-279 days after delivery were divided into a non-fed control group,three groups fed with Artemisia capillaris, and a positive controlgroup, each of the groups consisting of 10 cows. For the groups fed withArtemisia capillaris, each of the Artemisia capillaris powder (containedin a formulation in an amount of 18 wt %), the Artemisia capillarisextract (contained in a formulation in an amount of 3.6 wt %) and thefermented Artemisia capillaris (contained in a formulation in an amountof 18 wt %) was fed in an amount of 10 g/day/cow.

The amount of feed to the control group was adjusted depending on thecontent of a mixed feed, the animals were allowed free access to forage,and other raising conditions followed the usual practice of the testfarm. At the start, middle and end of the test, each of the groups wasmeasured for somatic cells. Somatic cell count (SCC) was analyzed usinga somatic cell counter (Fossomatic 300, Denmark).

As a result, as can be seen in Table 3, the non-fed group showed nosignificant change in milk production, whereas, in the group fed withthe fermented Artemisia capillaris, the number of somatic cells wasdecreased from 470,000 cells/ml of raw milk to 190,000 cells/ml of rawmilk for 16 weeks. The number of somatic cells was decreased from450,000 cells/ml to 240,000 cells/ml for 16 weeks for the group fed withthe Artemisia capillaris extract powder and from 480,000 cells/ml to220,000 cells/ml for 16 weeks for the group fed with the Artemisiacapillaris powder.

TABLE 3 Number of Artemisia Artemisia Fermented somatic capillariscapillaris Artemisia Negative cells powder extract capillaris control Atthe start 450,000 480,000 470,000 450,000 After 4 weeks 410,000 430,000420,000 440,000 After 8 weeks 350,000 340,000 300,000 430,000 After 16weeks 240,000 220,000 190,000 430,000 Unit: cells/ml of raw milk

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

As described in detail above, the composition according to the presentinvention can increase milk production of animals, including humans,and, in addition, can reduce the number of somatic cells in milk beingproduced, thus enabling production of good quality milk.

Although the present invention has been described in detail withreference to the specific features, it will be apparent to those skilledin the art that this description is only for a preferred embodiment anddoes not limit the scope of the present invention. Thus, the substantialscope of the present invention will be defined by the appended claimsand equivalents thereof.

1. A feed additive for increasing milk production of livestock, whichcontains Artemisia capillaris as an active ingredient.
 2. The feedadditive for increasing milk production of livestock according to claim1, wherein said Artemisia capillaries is selected from the groupconsisting of Artemisia capillaris powder, Artemisia capillaris extractand fermented Artemisia capillaris.
 3. A composition for increasing milkproduction of livestock, which contains Artemisia capillaris as anactive ingredient.
 4. The composition for increasing milk production oflivestock according to claim 3, wherein said Artemisia capillaries isselected from the group consisting of Artemisia capillaris powder,Artemisia capillaris extract and fermented Artemisia capillaris.
 5. Acomposition for promoting human breast milk production, which containsArtemisia capillaris as an active ingredient.
 6. The composition forpromoting human breast milk production according to claim 5, whereinsaid Artemisia capillaries is selected from the group consisting ofArtemisia capillaris powder, Artemisia capillaris extract and fermentedArtemisia capillaris.
 7. A composition for reducing somatic cells inlivestock milk, which contains Artemisia capillaris as an activeingredient.
 8. The composition for reducing somatic cells in livestockmilk according to claim 7, wherein said Artemisia capillaries isselected from the group consisting of Artemisia capillaris powder,Artemisia capillaris extract and fermented Artemisia capillaris.
 9. Afeed additive for reducing somatic cells in livestock milk, whichcontains Artemisia capillaris as an active ingredient.
 10. The feedadditive for reducing somatic cells in livestock milk according to claim9, wherein said Artemisia capillaries is selected from the groupconsisting of Artemisia capillaris powder, Artemisia capillaris extractand fermented Artemisia capillaris.